Exam #1 (vocab) Flashcards
enumerated/expressed vs. reserved powers
enumerated/expressed powers: the powers granted to the federal government of the US by the US Constitution
reserved powers: laws that are not specifically given to the national government and are reserved for the states
natural law/rights
law about fundamental things that exists before humans; right and wrong that is discerned through reason
direct democracy
the idea of “every vote matters” the people directly vote/choose
- ex. town meetings (should the town do ______ yes or no?)
ideology
a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy
tyranny of the majority
refers to a situation in majority rule where the preferences and interests of the majority may dominate the political landscape, potentially sidelining or disregarding the rights and needs of minority groups
welfare state
a social system where the government is responsible for the economic and social well-being of its citizens
Virginia Plan
introduced to the Constitutional Convention in 1787; James Madison’s Virginia Plan outlined a strong national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial
Clause
a part of a bill
unitary v. federal system
unitary: a form of government where the central government has complete authority over the country, with little to no power given to local governments
federal: a type of government where power is shared between a national government and state governments
bill of attainder
a legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person or group of people without a judicial trial
10th amendment
Rights Reserved to the States and the People; defines the division of power between the federal and state governments
nullification
asserted power on the part of the states to invalidate or nullify federal laws they believe to be unconstitutional
categorical grants
a grant from the federal government to state governments but they must do something specific with the money
laboratories of democracy
this concept explains how within the federal framework, there exists a system of state autonomy where state and local governments act as social laboratories, where laws and policies are created and tested at the state level of the democratic system, in a manner similar to the scientific method
gerrymandering
manipulation of legislative districts to favor a particular party
Keynesianism
a system of economics which is about demand management in an economy, when an economy is ‘sluggish’ or experience a regression it should be the responsibility of the government to stimulate the economy
tax types: progressive, flat, regressive
progressive: tax % is greater depending on how much you make
flat: same tax rate for everyone
regressive: low-income owners pay a larger % of the income than middle and high income earners (ex. sales tax, property tax, etc)
Full faith & Credit (Art. IV)
the requirement that state courts respect the laws and judgments of courts from other states
political polarization
political polarization is very intense in the current political climate
“the other is the enemy” mentality
this is seen particularly in the Republican party
appellate jurisdiction
the power of a higher court to review and potentially change the decisions of a lower court; applies to both civil and criminal law
spoils system
a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends, and relatives
voter suppression
a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting
social capital ‘bowling alone’
a term used to describe people who live with low levels of social capital
implied powers
political powers granted to the US government that aren’t explicitly stated in the Constitution; they are implied to be granted because similar powers have set a precedent
power elite theory
a small group of individuals who make all the decisions that really matter; a sociological theory that describes how a small group of people in society have the power to make decisions that affect the whole country
republican/ representative democracy
government is elected by citizens
conservative
tend to support Christian values, moral absolutism, and American exceptionalism, while opposing abortion, euthanasia, and LGBT rights; they tend to favor economic liberalism, and are generally pro-business and pro-capitalism, while opposing communism and labor unions
social democracy/ democrat
aims to use democratic collective action for promoting freedom and equality in the economy and opposes what is seen as inequality and oppression that laissez-faire capitalism causes
Am. exceptionalism
the belief that the US is either distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other nations
New Jersey Plan
a proposal for the structure of the US government that was presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787; the plan was designated to protect the power and security of small states
Supremacy Clause
federal law takes precedence over ant conflicting state law
ex post facto law
a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions that were committed before the law was enacted (“after the fact” in Latin)
habeas corpus
right to a trial; protection against a violation of basic rights
secession and succession
secession: the act of becoming independent and no longer part of a country
succession: the act of succeeding or coming after another in order or sequence
federal mandates (sometimes unfunded)
tells a state to do something but does not provide $$
conditions of aid
tells the state what it must do to get grant money
‘laboratories of autocracy’
a book by David Pepper where he posits that the greatest danger to democracy is in our own statehouses
‘packing & cracking’
“packing” is the dilution of minority group voting strength by improperly placing more minority voters into a district than is necessary to elect a representative of their choice
“cracking” is the splitting of a geographically compact minority population among two or more districts, thereby reducing the group’s ability to elect a representative in any district
fiscal policy
taxes in spending (increase spending, cut taxes) (the more money in people’s pockets, the more money they have to spend), fight inflation by doing the opposite to fight recession through raising taxes
partisan, bipartisan, nonpartisan
partisan: someone who supports one part or party
bipartisan: can refer to any political act in which both of the major political parties agree about all, or many parts of a political choice
nonpartisan: not partisan; free from party affiliation or bias
Privileges & Immunities (Art. IV)
no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the US; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
judicial review
power of the courts of a country to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the constitution
machine politics
the election of officials and the passage of legislation through the power of an organization created for political action
the “4 corners of deceit”
the idea that government, academia, science, and media are all now corrupt and exist by virtue of deceit
continuing resolution (C.R.)
a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time
culture wars
a form of cultural conflict between different social groups who struggle to politically impose their own ideology upon mainstream society
pluralist theory
political power rests with competing interest groups who share influence in government
political culture
describes how culture impacts politics; every political system is embedded in a particular political culture; political culture is what the people, the voters, the electorates believe and do based on their understanding of the political system in which they have found themselves
liberal
more inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional
libertarian
a political stance generally known as about the idea of individual liberties, responsibility/self-ownership, and free choice; the government should have less control over the lives of its citizens and should let them be responsible for themselves without the involvement of the government
liberal democracy
emphasizes the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and a system of checks and balances between the branches of government; multi-party systems with at least two persistent, viable political parties are characteristic of liberal democracies
Sherman/CT/Great Compromise Commerce
the compromise provided for a bicameral legislature, with representation in the House of Representatives according to population and in the Senate by equal numbers for each state
Elastic Clause
also known as the Necessary and Proper Clause; a part of the US Constitution that allows Congress to create laws that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution
confederation
a political union of independent states that agree to work together for a common purpose
Shays’s Rebellion
a violent insurrection in the MA countryside during 1786 & 1787; was brought about by a monetary debt crisis at the end of the American Revolutionary War; federal government couldn’t assist because they didn’t have their own money or army (shows how weak the national government was and the need for something stronger)
NIMBY
“not in my backyard”; a term used to describe people who oppose developments in their communities
block grants
bigger chunks of money for different types of programs with greater discretion to the states as to how they spend the money
upper/lower chambers
the US House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the US Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber
line-item veto
a type of veto power that allows the executive to cancel specific parts of a bill while signing into law the rest of the bill
filibuster & cloture
filibuster: action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question
cloture: a procedure used in the Senate to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter; used to overcome or deter a filibuster
monetary policy
the federal reserve is an independent institution in the US and the theory is that you don’t want politicians to be able to get their hands on that to do things to benefit their own agenda (the kind of policy that regulated the money in the economy, lower interest rates)
suffrage & franchise
right to vote
negative partisanship
the tendency of some voters to form their political opinions primarily in opposition to political parties they dislike
original jurisdiction
the authority of a court to hear a case for the first time before any appellate review occurs
stare decisis
respect for precedent (“it stands decided”)
Progressive Era reforms
this idea included major reforms such as direct primaries, campaign finance, civil service, anti-lobbying laws, state income and inheritance taxes, child labor restrictions, pure food, and workmen’s compensation laws
redistricting & apportionment
redistricting: the process of drawing electoral district boundaries, takes place in the US following the completion of each decennial census to account for population shifts
apportionment: the act of dividing and distributing things fairly between people or groups
